Funding sought to remove asbestos

Asbestos exposure can cause pleural plaques

The Isle of Man's Department of Education is seeking funding from Tynwald to deal with asbestos found in some of its schools' buildings.

The work, which is set to cost almost £737,000, will entail the removal or encapsulation of asbestos at 17 properties under its jurisdiction.

Specialist contractors will remove asbestos soffit boardings and room linings and clean service ducts.

The removed materials will then be replaced where necessary.

Long-term plan

A second phase of work will see the removal of asbestos within the ceiling void in Ballakermeen High School's pool hall building.

The Department is asking the May sitting of Tynwald for the money to carry out the work, which will begin this month and will be completed by March next year.

Estates Director Richard Collister said: "The Department has progressively been removing asbestos materials from our buildings since the mid 1980s.

"In 2005, the Department commissioned a specialist contractor to carry out asbestos surveys at all our sites, which identified the last known remaining areas containing asbestos.

Incurable cancer

"On the back of this, a business case was prepared and approved by Treasury, resulting in the inclusion of a phased programme of removal or encapsulation, of these asbestos based materials.

"This proposed scheme represents the first and largest phase of these works."

Asbestos, which is heat-resistant and has good insulating properties, used to be a popular building material.

However, inhaling asbestos dust or fibres can scar the lungs - a condition known as pleural plaque - which can develop into a type of incurable cancer called mesothelioma.

The cancer develops between 15 and 60 years after exposure to asbestos.